Thanks to the internet there is a vast array of ancient Greek dictionaries available for the translator. This was unheard of even ten years ago. This speeds up the process of translating by a factor of at least ten times.

The following dictionaries listed are all old, and there are no copyright restrictions. Some are not English-Greek dictionaries, none are text searchable, and all are large pdf files.

Sure, Perseus’ online Lidell and Scott Dictionary is the best for speed and easy access, no question. None of the other solutions come close to its speed and ability to enter a verb in whatever form, identify it, and find the root meaning.

However, there are some weaknesses of Lidell and Scott’s Dictionary. The first one is that it hardly delves into the realm of Ecclesiastical usage. Secondly, it is not exhaustive. Not every word can be found here.

One should always start at Perseus and if the word does not exist in this database, the definition seems too narrow, or some other problem, then it is time to go to the other dictionaries.

There are numerous websites that house these ancient Greek dictionaries, but many of them are not easy to navigate through, nor does any one site have all the dictionaries together. It requires some effort to locate and download the files. For your convenience, they are all found here below.

Most are direct links from Google Books. Follow the instructions from Google to download. It isn’t always necessary to download the books to use them. One can do search queries within the book using Greek text online. This cannot be done if the file is downloaded. This online search query isn’t always consistent but does sometimes provide quick results.

A list of Greek dictionaries for download.

There are many more ancient Greek dictionaries available on the internet, but the ones provided here are used more frequently.

A New Greek and English Lexicon; Principally on the plan of the Greek and German Lexicon of Schneider by James Donnegan. Boston: Hilliard, Gray and Co. 1836. This is one of the best concise English dictionaries on ecclesiastical usage, but the Google original scan has many scan errors — the page numbers are mixed-up, and sometimes duplicated. I corrected many of the problems initially found and built a revised version. Since then, I have found more errors in the page sequencing which require correction, but have yet to do.

Dictionnaire Grec-Française, Paris: Garnier Frères, 1865. It appears to be helpful. Unfortunately, the pdf file size is very large and takes a long time to render a page. I have tried to reduce the document size using a Photoshop automated system, but it has failed in two attempts.

Θησαυρος της Ελληνικης Γλωσσης is a Greek-Latin dictionary that is over four hundred years old but has yet to be surpassed in comprehensiveness. The typesetting and the structure of the earliest editions are difficult to follow, but the editions printed in the 1800s and later make it much easier to use. The Firmon-Didot edition is linked here. One can go on Google and find earlier versions.

Almost every dictionary above owes its ancestry to Stephanus. Many simply are abbreviated, condensed, abridged, or anglicized versions based on this work.

Stephanus’ Θησαυρος της Ελληνικης Γλωσσης is a multi-volume series. Some pages are missing scans or are scanned poorly. Some versions found on Google Books, such as volume 5, have copies that are missing a whole section, while other volume 5s have it. The link to volume 5 here is the full work.

The Firmon-Didot editions range from publishing dates of approximately 1817-1842. Due to the varying dates, there may be some inconsistencies between the books. Volumes 1a to 8 are the actual dictionary volumes, while volume 9 is an index. There are volumes containing glossaries after this, but due to space limitations, these are not included.

Explanations about the Stephanus name, a note on Lampe’s Patristic Lexicon, and further help from Plotinus’ Philosophical Lexicon.

There is a rich history behind the Stephanus name and their contribution to Bible history. Θησαυρος της Ελληνικης Γλωσσης was spearheaded by Henri Estienne (also known as Henri Stephanus). This family’s history of publishing, collating manuscripts, and translating has had a major impact on the modern Bible. For example the current division of chapters and verses was first introduced by Henri’s father, Robert I.

Some may ask, “what about Lampe’s Patristic Lexicon?” This one is a recent publication and does not qualify to be in any open source digital book library. Oxford University Press has not ported the printed version into any digital format either. Amazon.com has new ones listed from $304-578.00 US. The publisher has alienated a sizeable audience by its pricing and lack of digital availability. It is an OK dictionary, not as good as Stephanus’, and not worth the price. This pricing and availability may also put the book into a deep public slumber — a forgotten work that will sit quietly on a few dusty library bookshelves.

The Ecclesiastical writers borrowed terms, phrases, idioms, and grammatical structure of Greek philosophy. The following dictionary is helpful in these difficult spots: Plotinus Philosophical Lexicon Thank-you to Ryan Clevenger for pointing this one out. The item is listed at the ScribD website, which is usually a paid service.

Charles Sullivan is a researcher and writer on topics of textual criticism, linguistics, theology, Christian mysticism and philosophy. He also frequently likes to delve into contemporary social and ethical issues from a faith perspective.

You have a great idea in learning Latin. It is the most underappreciated language in Biblical studies and anyone who takes the time to learn opens the door to 80% or so of christian literature never translated into English. The most common system for self-learning Latin is Wheelocks Latin (http://wheelockslatin.com/). There are also long-distance learning courses for Latin offered by schools such as Cambridge (www.cambridgescp.com). YouTube also may be a place to explore for learning.

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